To start the process of repairing your soil, you need to take a deep look inside. The first step to evaluating your soil is evaluating your soul, after all. So, go get a journal and pen and start word-dumping that unhealthy, polluted inner monologue of yours all over the page.
Just kidding, you don't have to do any of that! Healing comes with time...but it does help if you're working with your hands in a garden. Some of you reading this may even be well-regulated individuals. I know I'm not –– but on to the content you're here for:
The real first step to evaluating your soil is identifying its classification. Soil is chiefly classified based on color, which is indicative of its "parent materials," or the rocks and minerals that constitute it.
Other factors, such as the vegetation that thrives in the soil, the life that lives in it, and how it handles water are also key. Take note of the soil's smell, taste (yes, eating a little dirt won't kill you) and its history before putting the area to use.
Here is a helpful soil classification chart from "Earth User's Guide to Permaculture"
To classify your soil, dig up a small amount from several different areas in your yard. You may notice that the color and other characteristics vary depending on where you dig.
In my yard, I have multiple areas of unhealthy soil, healthy soil and something in between. This is because another house used to stand on my plot of land 15 years ago, which heavily degraded the quality of the land. That was an episode in the "history" of my soil.
After over a decade of work from me and my mother, most of the land has significantly recovered and is now sustaining a multitude of local plant species.
Unhealthy, sandy soil from an area that was previously built on. (Soil taken from a large hole, courtesy of my Australian Shepherd, Aki.)
On the other hand, soil that has been nurtured by vegetation and other sources of nutrients is typically rich and black in color. Some techniques to improve the nutrient status of soil by upping the organic matter in it are as follows:
Green manuring: Planting a crop (like rye grass, barley, or buckwheat) to slash and return to the soil as high-quality organic matter.
Cover crops: Similar to green manure crops; plants like pumpkins and potatoes give you edible produce but their root systems also help aerate soil while protecting it from erosion.
Organic mulch: Mulch moderates soil temperature while insulating it during seasonal changes and preventing erosion. Mulch can be made from materials like hay, straw, grass clippings, newspaper and old wool.
Animal manure: Animals are a crucial part of permaculture! Just like in nature, when animals produce droppings, their manure nourishes the earth and adds to soil's nutrient bank. Chicken and pigs produce the strongest manure.
Richer, dark black soil scooped from underneath my banana trees. It is healthy from all the organic matter produced by the surrounding fruit trees.
Now, go outside and get your hands dirty while using your powers of observation. Who knows? Building a strong relationship with your soil might even make you feel more grounded within yourself.